Chapter 41: Mountain Training (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41: Mountain Training (2)
Seo-un watched the amethyst vibrate, its purple glow pulsing with resonating waves. "Did you do something?"
"I set up a barrier stone, just in case," Gi-chan replied. "From the outside, this clearing is invisible. No sound or energy from the inside will leak out."
"There really is a huge variety of items."
"I bought this just in case I ever needed it. It’s nothing major, but it was quite expensive."
"It seems like it would be useful in the game, too. Why didn't you use this barrier stone back then?"
Gi-chan looked back with a hint of regret. "Technically, this is an Earth-made item. The materials might have been sourced from the Otherworld, but since an alchemist manufactured it here on Earth... it can't be used in Cloyd."
"Ah. I think I heard something like that during the tutorial. So, there's no way to take Earth items with us?"
"No, that's not it. I heard that high-grade Subspace Rings appear in the games for regular players. If you have one of those, you can take as many Earth items as you want."
"Then you could even take Earth's firearms and use them?"
"Yes. There are actually a lot of reviews posted by people who tried it."
"But wouldn't it be hard to get firearms in Korea?"
"On the Deep Web, that doesn't really matter. Especially for players. You can even get rocket launchers if you have the money. A Subspace Ring makes unimaginable smuggling possible."
Seo-un’s expression hardened. He hadn't thought deeply about that side of things. But hearing it now, if someone wanted to exploit the system for illegal activities, Otherworld items were the perfect tools.
Gi-chan continued as he scanned the scenery. "But apparently, the efficiency isn't that great. I saw a review from a player who armed themselves to the teeth with guns, and they didn't recommend it. By the time you're a regular player, everyone is a formidable opponent. Guns aren't as useful as magic, skills, or martial arts."
"Still, things like sniper rifles or grenades... even landmines for booby traps..."
"A gun probably wouldn't even dent a real knight's armor. High-tier knights are absurdly durable. High-grade mages have powerful shields, and their casting is so fast it's practically a passive ability. And martial artists... well, you know how they are. According to the reviews, unless the opponent was weak, guns hardly worked. They said fire magic was more effective than a rocket launcher."
Seo-un had no choice but to nod. Firearms were bound to be awkward weapons in Cloyd. No matter how much you used a silencer, a gunshot was never truly quiet. The moment you pulled the trigger, your location was compromised.
It might be different for a player who could barely hunt with a crossbow, but if the opponent was high-level, relying solely on firearms was a losing bet.
"That person seemed to want to save coins by using guns, but in the end, they didn't see much success."
Despite that, Seo-un still held a vague faith in firearms. "Still, for a mage with clear physical weaknesses, there wouldn't be a better self-defense tool than a gun."
Gi-chan shook his head. "That only applies in the circles we flexible players run in. In the games for regular players, it doesn't really matter what your main focus is."
"Ah!"
Indeed, in Cloyd Survival, the boundaries eventually disappeared. There was no law saying a mage couldn't use martial arts, and just because someone held a bow didn't mean they were strictly an archer. Seo-un himself used both martial arts and bow magic.
If one's judgment was clouded by prejudice, it would lead straight to a game over. Moreover, regular players were 'veterans' who already knew the ins and outs of Cloyd. They were on a completely different level from the players he had faced so far.
"You're right. The higher you go, the more the boundaries blur."
"Still, their main specialty probably won't change much. Everyone tries to double down on what they're best at."
"I don't know. Mages are a bit..."
Seo-un trailed off as he met Gi-chan's eyes. The Gi-chan standing before him was a mage by trade.
"Just say it. Are you saying mages are weak?"
"Ahem. Compared to martial artists..."
"Hyung, you've never seen a truly strong mage, have you?" Gi-chan asked with a slightly pouting, sulky expression.
Seo-un scratched his cheek. "I've seen two. One of them was a famous guy named Askro."
"Someone carrying the name of Askro appeared in Cloyd?"
"You know a lot about how that world works."
"I've played up to 4-Quad, so I've heard the stories. Then you should know... a real mage is never weak. Especially a mage's 'one shot'—it's not something even a martial artist can handle easily."
Come to think of it, considering how Nam Sa-gwang was taken out in one hit by that old mage he had looked down on, a mage's peak power might indeed be superior. Just thinking about the Meteor from back then still sent shivers down his spine.
"Above all, mages are cool."
Seo-un fell silent as he watched Gi-chan go out of his way to pull a robe out of his subspace and put it on. It seemed personal preference played a huge role in these matters. Seo-un had read his fair share of fantasy novels, but if he had to choose, he preferred martial arts. A longing for the Murim was subconsciously ingrained in him. That was why he had been more obsessed with martial arts and elixirs while progressing through Cloyd.
The robed Gi-chan gripped a short staff in his hand. It was topped with a blue orb like a sapphire, and Seo-un could feel the waves of mana emanating from it.
"Huh?"
"Aren't you going to get ready?"
"Oh, right. We came here to train."
Gi-chan glared at the dazed Seo-un with sharp eyes. "Just because you beat me once, don't look down on me. I'm on the verge of becoming a regular player."
With those words, Gi-chan quickly backed away. His movement technique was surprisingly fluid.
He didn't put on that robe for nothing.
In the meantime, Gi-chan's staff continued to generate waves of mana.
"About that staff—"
— Zap!
An electric discharge shot from Gi-chan's hand toward Seo-un's feet, scorching the ground black.
"Save the questions for later. Training comes first!"
Finishing his sentence, Gi-chan moved quickly around the clearing, never staying still. The more Seo-un watched, the more agile the movements seemed. With a smirk, Seo-un lightly warmed up his body.
— Master! Is it time for me to—
No.
Hamit, who was about to transform, went quiet.
"I'm starting."
At Seo-un's words, Gi-chan responded with another lightning attack. Seo-un didn't bother dodging the incoming bolt and let it hit him. The lightning that struck his chest felt stinging, but nothing more.
No damage, and no restriction on movement.
It seemed to be a 1st Circle basic spell. Then, Seo-un moved.
In a flicker of movement, Seo-un’s form multiplied into six. At the same time, Gi-chan aimed his staff at the Seo-uns quickly surrounding him.
— Crackle!
The lightning fired from the staff like a beam, instantly jumping to the other Seo-uns nearby and erasing all the clones.
Using the clones to conduct the electricity?
Seo-un used Concussive Strike to cut off the lightning that was about to reach him with a sharp fist strike. His shoulder tingled; this was a spell he shouldn't take without preparation. Compared to when he fought Gi-chan in the Otherworld, his current magic resistance was too low.
He closed the distance while parrying attacks, but suddenly a wall erupted from the ground, blocking his vision.
— Thud!
It was so sudden that he barely managed to protect his face with his arms as he slammed into the wall, causing cracks to spiderweb across the structure. Meanwhile, Gi-chan kept his distance and cast a new spell. The magic that made walls rise up everywhere wasn't particularly threatening, but it was annoying.
However, after being caught a few times, Seo-un adapted. He wouldn't collide with a wall again.
— Whoosh!
The moment he neutralized an incoming fireball with his fist, a wind blade flew at him with a slight delay. As he stepped aside to dodge, the wall behind him was gouged out.
Gi-chan, who continued to maintain distance while firing spells, certainly had a good balance. Mages could launch powerful attacks, but they were physically frail and usually needed knights to hold the line. Gi-chan was making up for that with excellent movement techniques and effective utility magic.
In particular, whenever Seo-un pushed his Muryeong Phantom Step to the limit to create clones, Gi-chan remained extremely vigilant and quickly dealt with them using Chain Lightning.
Seo-un's smile deepened.
Magic isn't something only you can use.
Two Ice Lances appeared above Seo-un's shoulders and shot toward Gi-chan. Behind the lances, Seo-un charged at high speed.
— Fwoosh!
A wall rose instantly to block the Ice Lances, and a pillar of fire erupted simultaneously, melting them away. In that moment, Seo-un leaped over the wall and threw a punch.
When he fired a fist qi using Space Strike with moderated power, Gi-chan swayed and moved side to side to evade it. He certainly knew how to deal with a martial artist.
But that was enough for Seo-un. Because Gi-chan had spent time dodging the fist qi instead of maintaining distance, Seo-un closed the gap in an instant.
Grab.
Something caught Seo-un's ankle right in front of the mage. The only reason he managed to stay upright and keep his balance was purely due to his high agility and the footwork of the Muryeong Phantom Step.
Looking down, he saw two hands made of stone rising from the ground, firmly gripping his ankles.
— Bzzzzzt.
In the meantime, Gi-chan widened the distance and raised his staff above his head. A powerful spark erupted from the orb, and waves of mana saturated the air.
He's planning something big.
— Crunch! Snap!
Seo-un had no intention of staying caught. He applied strength to his feet and twisted, shattering the stone hands and breaking free. At that moment, the lightning extending from Gi-chan's staff shot toward the walls that had risen all around, growing in size before arcing toward Seo-un.
— Zzzzzzzap!
The lightning hit his chest, sending a shock through his entire body.
"Hah!"
But it wasn't a spell he was experiencing for the first time. Protecting his body with internal power, he forced the electricity out through his feet while simultaneously performing a Stomp. The massive electrical energy dissipated into the ground.
As Gi-chan was about to fire an additional spell at Seo-un, who was briefly checking his tingling body, he felt something touch his back.
— Tap.
"Got you."
It was a spine-chilling experience to hear Seo-un's voice from behind when he could clearly see him standing right in front of him.
"When! When did you switch with a clone?"
"Since you were setting up walls everywhere and blocking my vision, I figured you were up to something, so I decided to use that to my advantage. I hid my real body behind a wall the moment I dissipated the lightning."
"I didn't feel anything with my energy detection at all..."
Gi-chan turned around and looked at Seo-un with an incredulous expression. Seo-un gave a wide grin.
"I'm trying to practice hiding my presence. How was it? Could you tell?"
"In a desperate combat situation, that would definitely be effective."
"Really?"
As Seo-un's lips curled into a smile, Gi-chan hesitated for a moment before asking, "But... Hyung, you were going easy on me, weren't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
In truth, he hadn't gone all out because he wanted to observe Gi-chan's skills. He had simply gauged his abilities while reacting to the situation.
"Sigh. I felt like I was cornering you just as I planned. If I could have pushed you that easily, I wouldn't have lost that 2-on-1 back then."
Seeing him look disappointed, Seo-un offered some comfort. "You seem much stronger than back then, though?"
As soon as he said it, he realized it didn't make much sense. Since Gi-chan had only obtained basic coins because of him and hadn't been back on Earth for long, there was no way he could have become stronger. But it wasn't exactly an empty compliment. He had genuinely felt that way.
"I have more mana to spare than before, and above all, I have this on Earth." Gi-chan held up his staff. It was definitely something Seo-un hadn't seen before.
"Is it an Earth item?"
"Yes. It's an item I received as payment for providing certain materials. It's excellent. It amplifies magic power by 90% and can store up to five spells. In Cloyd, it would cost at least 100 coins."
Seo-un tilted his head. "The balance seems a bit off. You get an item like that just for providing one material?"
"How should I explain it... The value of an item isn't always equal to its coin cost. In Cloyd, they pay strangely low amounts of coins for anything other than specific items. Among alchemists, there are quite a few people who dropped out and can't go back to Cloyd anymore."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. To compare it to a game, they're like users who are more into crafting and production content than combat. In reality, that actually makes more money."
It made sense. That side of things must have its own kind of fun.
"There are many ways to make money."
"Why? Do you want to learn alchemy? It's quite charming in its own way."
"No. It's not my style."
Seo-un cut him off flatly and stepped back to widen the distance again. Watching him, Gi-chan smiled as he stored a spell into his staff.
*
"So, the brats from the Singangnam Faction got humiliated?"
At the words of the man sitting cross-legged, the bulky man reporting from the side bowed his head.
"Yes. It seems they happened to witness the scene since he was someone we were also keeping an eye on."
"A guy like that sold Askro's Necklace to a jewelry store for peanuts? That doesn't add up."
"Maybe it's because he's just that confident?"
"Maybe. He's an interesting fellow. He might be worth messing with."
The man, who sat unmoving even inside a sauna where the temperature exceeded 90 degrees, opened his eyes. He was a man with impressive, well-defined muscles and piercing, predatory eyes.